The Missouri Department of Conservation's Lost Valley Fish Hatchery and Visitor Center Reels in Guests with Interactive DVD

Visitors to the Lost Valley Fish Hatchery can reel in their own "catch" without ever leaving the building via kiosks outfitted with Pioneer's DVD-V7400 Industrial DVD-Video players. Providing more than 200,000 annual visitors with a glimpse into both Missouri's fish species and the restoration of the fish population through a 12,700 gallon aquarium and 78 fish rearing ponds, the Lost Valley Fish Hatchery wanted its exhibits to have an interactive and educational component. Employing Pioneer's industrial DVD-Video players, the Fish Hatchery's information kiosks allow guests to learn about three different fish species and then play a game called "Finding Fish" where they attempt to lure and catch a particular species of fish, providing an interactive and educational experience. Currently displaying facts about three species of Missouri warm water fish, the hatchery plans to install the interactive "Finding Fish" kiosks highlighting another 5 species in the coming year.

The hatchery decided to integrate a multimedia element into the exhibits by installing educational and interactive kiosks. Imagitrax, providing television based interactive and computer based interactive programming and systems for entertainment, education and business, along with its partner the MASH group and Pioneer counseled the Lost Valley Fish Hatchery on its options for installing a new system. With the requirements of the hatchery in mind, Imagitrax and the MASH Group designed kiosks equipped with Pioneer DVD-V7400 industrial DVD-video players, giving visitors the ultimate interactive experience.

"It was important for the Fish Hatchery to present educational information in an interactive and reliable format," said Lesly Conaway of the Lost Valley Fish Hatchery and Visitor Center. " The kiosks equipped with Pioneer's DVD-Video players were an excellent choice, giving the Fish Hatchery the ability to provide an active learning experience without worrying that the system would suddenly break or wear out due to constant use by visitors playing the game."

Making the experience truly interactive, Imagitrax connected Pioneer's DVD-Video players to customized track ball controllers that allow up to three users at a time make individual selections from the interactive game to learn about or catch a fish. The RS-232C interface connection feature of Pioneer's DVD-V7400, provides the ability to link specially designed controllers to the players, allowing users to develop their own external controls with relative ease and very few components. To ensure that the kiosks would appeal to the school age children that often visit the hatchery as well as adults, Imagitrax and the MASH Group kept the kiosk and game design simple and easy-to-use, while giving the interfaces enough options to keep everyone interested. Any hatchery guest can view the players' selections on the kiosk's three 35-inch monitors.

"The Lost Valley Fish Hatchery wanted to go beyond traditional means of educating visitors," said Bob Gleason, president of Imagitrax. "They needed something interactive to teach people about various species of fish and restoration projects that the hatchery is undergoing, as well as entertaining to create a fun and memorable experience. We knew that using Pioneer's DVD-V7400 industrial DVD-Video players at the hatchery would be a perfect way to educate and excite guests."

Pioneer's DVD-Video players are designed to run continuously throughout the day without incident, providing sharp, crisp images for educational and interactive presentations where precise detail is imperative. The industrial design of the DVD-Video players makes them ideal for enduring the rigors of daily operation required by kiosk applications.

In addition to reliability and quality, for the Lost Valley Fish Hatchery convenience was a priority. Making the kiosks automatic and low maintenance while creating a virtually plug-and-play kiosk installation, the Power-On Start function allows the Lost Valley Fish Hatchery to simultaneously pre-set the multiple player's ON and OFF times.

"DVD-Video technology is a great option for use with kiosk applications in educational and entertainment environments," said Linda Toleno, vice president of sales and marketing for Pioneer's Industrial Video Division. "Pioneer's industrial DVD-V7400 DVD-Video players offer high reliability, flexible programming options and easy interface capabilities, making them ideal for point of information kiosks like those at the Lost Valley Fish Hatchery."

The Industrial Video division of Pioneer New Media Technologies, Inc. headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., is the leader and technical innovator in optical disc technology for professional DVD-Video applications in business, training and education markets. Pioneer New Media Technologies, Inc. is a subsidiary of Pioneer Electronic Corporation.

For more information on Pioneer's Industrial DVD-Video players and other industrial products from Pioneer, visit www.pioneerelectronics.com or call (310) 952-2111.